IRVING, Texas—This time last year, Tony Romo was the cover boy on plenty of preseason magazines. His love life was gossip-page fodder. And he was hearing his name in the same breath as Roger Staubach and Troy Aikman.

Same as this year, right?

Hardly. Along with the hype were the questions about whether he deserved such accolades, whether this guy who rocketed from nobody to Pro Bowler was a one-year wonder. Heck, even his bosses on the Dallas Cowboys wanted to make sure, withholding a contract extension until they were convinced he was for real.

Romo proved ...

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